Claudio Suarez reacts to the U.S. World Cup Announcement

Former Chivas USA Defender Claudio Suarez weighed in on the U.S. hosting the 2022 World Cup:

"It is an important thing for everyone who is involved in soccer, especially for those who lived in this country. The US has already hosted the World Cup, in 1994, in which I had the opportunity to play. Around that time, soccer in the U.S. wasn’t as developed as today, because it didn’t have a league. I didn’t feel the same soccer atmosphere that I felt in France 98 or Germany 2006. But soccer in the U.S. has grown a lot and the U.S. will be a soccer power in 2022.

"There’s nothing like a World Cup. In 1994, there wasn’t a great atmosphere because the U.S. was just barely starting to have top-level soccer. But soccer has been growing and growing, and those people that watched the World Cup in 1994 embraced the sport, and many of those kids wanted to become professional soccer players. Now soccer in the U.S. has become a reality and that has translated into a strong National Team. By 2022, the United States will be a soccer power at the club level and, without a doubt, at the National Team level as well."